San Diego’s software industry has taken some body blows recently. Cyber security firm Websense moved its headquarters and 445 jobs to Texas. Event registration provider Active Network relocated a division to the same state. ServiceNow, a help desk software firm founded in San Diego, is now based in Silicon Valley.

These moves have local business leaders searching for ways to boost the region’s software industry. The latest effort, called Swarm, aims to host five or so events a year that bring software entrepreneurs together with the region’s institutional and high-net-worth individual investors.

“Software, as a business cluster, has been an important part of this community for 20 years,” said Jeb Spencer, managing partner of boutique San Diego private equity firm TVC Capital and an organizer of the Swarm project. “There has definitely been a slowdown. So we’re trying to provide a forum where software entrepreneurs get a chance to meet with established investors from the San Diego area.”

Swarm — named after Swarm theory, which contends colonies can solve complex problems that individuals can’t — isn’t alone in linking local entrepreneurs with capital. Tech Coast Angels, Connect, CommNexus, the San Diego Venture Group and several incubator outfits have programs that put young firms in front of either financial backers or potential large customers.

Whether there is a need for another group remains to be seen. Software firms invited to the first Swarm event, slated for May 8, likely will be far enough along to be generating revenue, Spencer said.

“Are there a bunch of world-beater ideas that are not getting funded here?” asked Clancy. “You have Qualcomm Labs, which is active. Tech Coast Angels is active. So I don’t know.”

Spencer said TVC Capital, which invests in software firms with at least $2.5 million in revenue, has seen a noticeable decline in business plans from San Diego companies in recent years. “The last four deals we have done, only one of the companies was in San Diego,” he said.

In addition, money-raising deals for San Diego software companies — while up over the last five years — are not keeping pace with growth rates in other regions, such as Austin or Phoenix, said Spencer.

Swarm is focused solely on software. Its events will be open only to invited entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and accredited individual investors. Accountants, lawyers and other service providers won’t be there.

Swarm events also will be tailored as social gatherings where eight to 10 startups can make short presentations “without a lot of aggressive and sometimes pessimistic Q and A” that can occur in more formal pitch fests, said Spencer.

Swarm organizers have talked with the region’s venture capitalists and angel investors about attending the first event. The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., The Cooley law firm and Tech Coast Angels are supporting Swarm.

“It is an experiment, but a large number of people are committed to trying to reverse the course of things,” Spencer said.